The first of the two anticipated low-pressure areas has formed over the North-West Bay of Bengal, which promises to change the complexion of the monsoon over East and Central India.

India Met Department (IMD) has predicted a mostly westerly track for the system after it dumps heavy rain over Odisha and Bengal, before tracking across Chhattisgarh, East and West Madhya Pradesh.

Worthwhile successor

It might die out over there, only because a heavily endowed successor would have made its way into Bengal and Odisha, intensifying into a depression or even deep depression by July 23. Earlier, the US Climate Prediction Centre had said that the familiar tracks that 'low's are known to tread over North India would stay active until July 27/28.

The hyperactive twosome are expected to help reduce the rain deficit over East India, including Odisha and Bengal, which are known to be the playgrounds for monsoon 'low's. While the rain deficit has been climbing up over the East, Saurashtra and Kutch to the West looked to improve its position thanks to late but intermittent showers being reported from there.

The rainfall deficit thus far during the season stands reduced to 70 per cent in Saurashtra and Kutch but in East India, the comparably smaller deficit had been inching up. IMD said that heavy to very heavy rain with extremely heavy falls were observed at isolated places over East Gujarat region, while it was heavy to very heavy over Saurashtra & Kutch overnight on Friday.

Saurashtra downpour

Heavy to very heavy rain was also reported from Uttarakhand, East Rajasthan, Konkan & Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, South Interior Karnataka and Chhattisgarh during this period. It was heavy rain over Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, West Rajasthan, East Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, hills of Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Kerala and Interior Tamil Nadu.

IMD said that the successor 'low' is expected to take shape by July 19 (Thursday next). It could intensify rapidly and become a depression/deep depression over Bengal itself.

It could bring a belt of heavy to very heavy or even extremely heavy rainfall over the North-Eastern States, Bengal, Odisha, Jharlhand, and Bihar by July 23. It would still have a few more days of active live left, with its track of onward movement determining the spread of rainfall.

IMD seemed to emphasise on the shape of things to come by saying that the all-important monsoon would lie along its normal position into the next week, facilitating enhanced rain activity. It also seemed to bet on the possibility that the monsoon might revive over East and North-East India after two to three days, with the initiation of the depression/deep depression.

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